Do you own any stocks?
cohodk
Posts: 19,129 ✭✭✭✭✭
Do you own any stocks, mutual funds, etfs, either directly or through a 401K, ira or other retirement plan?
Dont worry folks, this will turn PM related.
Dont worry folks, this will turn PM related.
Excuses are tools of the ignorant
Knowledge is the enemy of fear
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Comments
I would also assign less weight to those who own stock only through their company 401K's. And if someone owns <$1,000 or so in stocks I would consider that to be essentially zero, though the number is dependent on income. A better way is what % of your net worth is in stocks. A value of <10% would imo be quite negligible. Your poll as set up will get the results you desire.
I've been thinking about getting a brokerage account now for about 6 years though. Does that count?
I knew it would happen.
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
now it's PM related.
"Interest rates, the price of money, are the most important market. And, perversely, they’re the market that’s most manipulated by the Fed." - Doug Casey
Oh......and if the market crashed I would rebalance again.😊
How about you Cohodk?
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
<< <i>A ton and have for sometime though I've rebalanced on way up especially last year.
Oh......and if the market crashed I would rebalance again.😊
How about you Cohodk? >>
Bidask, what are some of the individual stocks you own?
Always will.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Mostly cash and PMs now. After 2016 I may get back in the market at very small increments. I figure after the election, if something bad doesn't happen I give up being on the sidelines since 2011. But I will never go full in unless the market craters 50%.
Should of would of bought $10,000 in Citi in 09. Oh well.
Citi at 97 cents
Some of the FED QE would have gone straight into my pocket.
I don't own individual stocks, but did in the early 90s and did quite well with them til I sold them to fund my first home purchase.
Box of 20
jdimmick;Gerard;wondercoin;claychaser;agentjim007;CCC2010;guitarwes;TAMU15;Zubie;mariner67;segoja;Smittys;kaz;CARDSANDCOINS;FadeToBlack;
jrt103;tizofthe;bronze6827;mkman;Scootersdad;AllCoinsRule;coindeuce;dmarks;piecesofme; and many more
<< <i>
<< <i>A ton and have for sometime though I've rebalanced on way up especially last year.
Oh......and if the market crashed I would rebalance again.😊
How about you Cohodk? >>
Bidask, what are some of the individual stocks you own? >>
AET, CVX, DIS, DAL, FB and more recently TWTR, BABA to name a few.
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
Charles III Album
Charles III Portrait Set
Charles IV Album
Charles IV Portrait Set
Spanish Colonial Pillar Set
MJ
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
HOG
Menomonee Falls Wisconsin USA
http://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistr...dset.aspx?s=68269&ac=1">Musky 1861 Mint Set
First, im going to assume a few who voted no, actually do and voted no just because--you know who you are.
Second, even with votes slightly skewed, there are more who own stocks than think gold is useful.
Third, I started this poll based on comments that the middle class doesnt own stocks. I think this board is quite "middle class", albeit heavily weighted toward a specific demographic. The debate is not whether the assets of the middle class are mostly in stocks, just whether the middle class owns stocks.
Individual comments...
I do own some stocks currently, but they are in the bashed PM and commodity sector. I wouldn't touch the main stock market up at these levels
There is no such thing as a "main stock market". There is only a stock market. If you only own 100 shares of Newmont Mining you are just as involved in stocks as if you owned 100 shares of Home Depot or Microsoft or HALO.
mainstream - hedge fund - tried and true - J6P types of stocks
I really dont know what that means. Take a look at the 2015 investment thread--all of us are J6P--and the result is quite a diversified list of investment ideas.
Not a single one, not even in a mutual fund or a retirement account.
I imagine a little exposure to stocks would alter ones view of the nations and personal economy.
How about you Cohodk?
Yes, I own individual stocks as well as mutual funds, equity options and etfs.
with some bias towards technology and healthcare
My 2 favorite sectors.
KO
HOG
America!!
Nice to see some have a long term perspective.
Knowledge is the enemy of fear
What if I had only given 2 choices? 1. Gold is useless. 2. Gold is not useless. I suspect the results would have been at 90-100% "not useless," allowing for the Baseballs of the world that would have voted "useless" regardless. I even included the words"effectively useless" so that the usual gold bashers had a way to opt out even though ALL of them admitted that gold has useful purposes (in fact, everyone on that thread admitted as much). But, I also wanted to see how many were in that middle category. We all know the 4-5% that voted "totally useless" were playing games. Had you worded your stocks poll to screen out those that own a very small % of their net worth in stocks, or only as a result of a 401K which is basically 50% forced/found money, you'd have different results. If someone owns 2 shares of Google or 100 Shares in a $10 ETF, I don't consider that to be "stock ownership"....but rather "effectively, no stock ownership. There was no mid-ground in this poll to weed out those who only own small amounts of stock because "they have to." Those people effectively don't own stocks. It's not a significant player in their overall net worth.
You're getting the results you wanted, just as I said you would, based on how the poll was constructed. Just don't try to compare your results to my earlier POLL. You were also right that this would get linked to PM's....you just did that in your last post.
Your poll certainly doesn't show that 81% of the stock market is owned by 10% of the population (ie not the middle class). That's the more important truth. The fact that 27% of the responders say they don't own stocks is a LOT higher than I would have expected. Yes, I voted "No" as explained above. But, for any particular day during the year, I might not own any stocks, not even in PMs. I own no stocks for long term holding.
I took a look at the 2014 investment thread....and the 2015 will probably turn out no better. Most of these guys (yourself and myself included) swung for the fences, and lost. There were 66% losers in that thread. Now if those are honest attempts to invest their own money for real gains....it ain't working. 2014 was a great year for stocks with the SPY up 11%. Yet only 21% of the 2014 players met or exceeded that standard. 75% of the players had gains <4%...effectively zeroed out via cap gains, taxes, fees, and inflation (per the CPI). Again, comparing apples to oranges using these 2014/2015 "investment" threads to compare to what real people own in real stocks....for an entire year no less.....nothing in common at all in what the middle class owns in stocks. Now make everyone put up $10,000 in their own money, then maybe we'd get some comparable results.
If we're going to count stock ownership as any amount, of any stock....then we might as well say that owning any gold or silver jewelry, a single 90% silver coin, or a silver dollar, makes you a PM investor...an a supporter and card carrying member of the gold is "useful" club. For those that didn't vote for gold being "useful" in that earlier poll, we know you knew better but were just trying to play hard to get.
Only talk today is will Greece exit the Euro zone and when will the fed raise rates?
Lack of accurate accounting and informed and patient investors is the reason why we have experienced a roller coaster cycle of run ups and crashes. The same emotion and lack of conviction that drives neophytes in to the market on the rise, runs them out on the way down.
The thread is linked to the previous threads about ZIRP and "manipulated", "contrived", "rigged" markets. Comment comparing to "useless" gold is interesting, at least I find it so.
I dont think I have condoned stocks any more than I have PMs over the years.
I quit buying and holding equities when I could no longer make rational valuation decisions based on the juiced P&L statements
So what was/is irrational? Your view of income statements or the income statements?
Knowledge is the enemy of fear
<< <i>I didnt construct anything. I asked a simple yes/no question. >>
And you are extrapolating questionable opinions on what the "yes" or "no" means.
The second step in any poll that is worth anything, is to weed out the biases. The first step is to have the poll answer an "important" question. The question this poll asks is if you own at least one share of stock. We know know that of the forum responders, at least 70% of them own a share of stock. Everything else is opinion. I chose not to ask "is gold useless, yes or no." Mainly because that wouldn't have told me or anyone else anything we don't already know. I actually "weeded in" some the biases because I wanted to know what % they were at.
Exactly. Take your vote to the yes side and just 2 or 3 others (you know who you are) and more than 4 out of 5 people on this board own stocks which is pretty much as I had expected.
My intent was not to prove that 81% of the stock market is owned by 10%--thats your "fact", not mine. Mine was only to supplant the notion that the middle class owns no stocks. Clearly this isnt the case. Therefore derryb's comment about the rising stock market and ZIRP not helping the middle class is erroneous.
I dont support the actions of the FED, as ive stated here many times, but to say those actions have not helped the typical American is a very false statement.
I also see that the largest "opposition" to the stock market are those that have not benefited from its rise. I'd be pretty pissed too if I missed out. The corrolation between those who do not own stocks and who believe it is rigged is, I assume, very high.
Knowledge is the enemy of fear
I will only extract possible and probably willful misleading voting.
Im not discussing the "useless" gold thread
And in a "biased" setting such as a precious metals board, the 2 polls may speak more than we wish to hear.
Knowledge is the enemy of fear
<< <i> Exactly. Take your vote to the yes side and just 2 or 3 others (you know who you are) and more than 4 out of 5 people on this board own stocks which is pretty much as I had expected.
I'd submit that there aren't 2 or 3 others. I was the only one that admitted as much. If derryb didn't vote "NO" (and he might have based on his first post), then I'm sure I'm the only one. Don't build more biases into your poll by guessing who responded with what.
My intent was not to prove that 81% of the stock market is owned by 10%--thats your "fact", not mine. Mine was only to supplant the notion that the middle class owns no stocks. Clearly this isnt the case. Therefore derryb's comment about the rising stock market and ZIRP not helping the middle class is erroneous.
My fact of 81% is "fact" as I took it from US surveys from reputable sources. You can confirm quite easily by googling that question. As long as one middle class person in the US owns a share of stock, then "the middle class owns stock." But what is that worth? Nothing if you ask me. I want to know how much of the stock market they own (how much <20%?). I want to know what is the average $$ holding in stocks by the average middle class person. I could not find that last number anywhere, or I would have posted it. I suspect it's not very large. I agree with your "finding" that the middle class owns some stock. How many min wage workers (they are middle class if there are 2 bread winners) have minimal stock holdings? Your poll also assumes that everyone here is middle class, which is probably not true at all. Plenty of holes there. You're assuming everyone here makes a certain income to qualify them. Some or probably under the middle class level and others above it. Next POLL please.
I also see that the largest "opposition" to the stock market are those that have not benefited from its rise. I'd be pretty pissed too if I missed out. The corrolation between those who do not own stocks and who believe it is rigged is, I assume, very high.
The sour grapes axiom? Is that in the FED's arsenal too?
"I took a look at the 2014 investment thread....and the 2015 will probably turn out no better. Most of these guys (yourself and myself included) swung for the fences, and lost. There were 66% losers in that thread. Now if those are honest attempts to invest their own money for real gains....it ain't working. 2014 was a great year for stocks with the SPY up 11%. Yet only 21% of the 2014 players met or exceeded that standard. 75% of the players had gains <4%...effectively zeroed out via cap gains, taxes, fees, and inflation (per the CPI). Again, comparing apples to oranges using these 2014/2015 "investment" threads to compare to what real people own in real stocks....for an entire year no less.....nothing in common at all in what the middle class owns in stocks. Now make everyone put up $10,000 in their own money, then maybe we'd get some comparable results."
This. I think many see it as a game of zero consequences and are just having fun with it. Looking over the 2015 list reveals more of the same...swinging for the fence.
I wonder how many of the participants actually own stocks?
<< <i> I wonder how many of the participants actually own stocks? >>
Fwiw, I didn't own any stocks at the time I placed my bets in the 2014 investment challenge. That probably should have disqualified me. And the choices I picked I was eventually out of by sometime in January. And for the majority of days in 2014 I didn't own any stocks. Like I said, lots of leakage points in a poll that asks only for "yes" or "no." . From my point of view, I really don't "own" stocks like a typical "middle class" person. But read further on and it looks like I'm not even middle class any more. So I chose "No" based on that reasoning. And not because I wanted to screw up Cohodk's poll. I've gone years when I didn't own any stocks, how do you count that in a POLL? For years in my first company 401K I couldn't select anything except major major stock growth funds, bond funds, and cash. That was it. I suspect many 401K's are still like that (no PMs, no commods, no short funds, etc.).
But, if someone can dig up what the average US stock market holdings are for the average middle class guy, I'd love to see it. I guess I could take 100-81 = 19% and apply that to the value of the US stock market. Then divide that buy the number of middle class people. Assuming a $30 TRILL US stock market today (ratioed from end of 2012 numbers). Assuming 200 MILL middle classers, that all works out to be $28K per person. More than I thought. Could be as high as 43K if we assume that 90% of the country are correct in their assumption that they are middle class....something I'd seriously doubt. Cohodk's poll results are forum only. We really don't know how they apply to the middle class. So just what is the middle class? You certainly can't extrapolate this "poll" to the middle class without defining who they are...and then who many here qualify.
When digging deeper I found out that even defining what middle class means is quite variable. There's 43 pages in this link and they can't even answer the question. >90% of Americans think they are middle class, but that's certainly not the case from what I've seen or read. The article below suggests that home ownership, a car, college savings, health care plan, vacations, and adequate retirement savings are all basic requirements. With the middle class having shrunk the past 6 years, I wonder how many of them really have adequate retirement savings. And a $50K or so average savings in stocks/bonds/cash isn't going to cut it. I haven't taken a vacation in 5 years, count me out as middle class. When I left my last job I didn't have health insurance for a while....count me out there. I'm still working on adequate retirement savings....so until I'm there, count me out again.
US govt 2010 Middle Class survey study - US Dept of Commerce
<< <i>I wonder how many of the participants actually own stocks? >>
Surprise....some of us do.
There are plenty of other popular surveys that show about 40% of America households don't save any significant amount of money at all, much less buy stocks. They tend not to collect coins either. Other surveys show a high level of distrust of the stock market among those under 30 years old. While this enormous group of lower middle income people might own some stocks, perhaps from gift or inheritance, owning $500 or $1000 of some mutual fund isn't going to mean much one way or another, even in the very long run.
Still not sure what any of this has to do with precious metals. I do see this incessant and mostly meaningless chatter about the U.S. stock market in a precious metals forum, as a warning sign of a market top. By itself it isn't actionable, but it is a red flag. The chatter isn't just about performance. There is virtually no chatter about bonds when 30 year Treasury bonds were the best performing major asset class of 2014, up over 25%, with income oriented utility stocks and REITs up about the same for the year.
<< <i>
<< <i>I wonder how many of the participants actually own stocks? >>
Surprise....some of us do.
My picks have always been what I own.
<< <i>...My picks have always been what I own.
And you sir, ARE a Jack Kennedy.
(and you're probably in the minority too.....
<< <i>
<< <i>...My picks have always been what I own.
And you sir, are a Jack Kennedy.
(and you're probably in the minority too.....
I'm no Jack Kennedy
<< <i>I'm no Jack Kennedy
Look at Dan Quayle and he can see the laser dot aimed squarely at him as Lloyd Bentsen slowly squeezes the vice. You'd have sworn by today's reality standards that this had to be scripted. Classic debate.
... also see that the largest "opposition" to the stock market are those that have not benefited from its rise. I'd be pretty pissed too if I missed out. The corrolation between those who do not own stocks and who believe it is rigged is, I assume, very high.
This still doesn't make sense to me. The stock market was dead money from March 1998 to October 2011. 13-1/2 years dead flat with plenty of whipsaws. Most holders got scoured into the 2001-2002 dip. Then again into the 2008-2009 washout. Many never came back unless "forced" through 401K company matching. Then how many more survived the 2011 smack down and still hung in? What you propose is that every middle class stock owner has benefited from the stock market of 1998-2014 as you and Bailey have....and in the same way with probably the same type of methods. I would submit that you guys are in the top 10% of the class. How many smack downs does it take for J6P not to come back stocks after the 2009 beat down? And if they sold out into that dip, what are they odds they were willing to come back in 2012-2014 and pay record prices for stocks they had dumped for much less? And assuming they did, what are the odds they become the fall guys in the next rounds of "fight club?"
Forget about what is rigged or not rigged, or whose grapes are sour or sweet. Odds are that most J6P's didn't survive the many trials of 1998-2011. 13-1/2 yrs of being flat? Who benefited from all those rises and falls other than JPM, GS, Cohodk, Bailey and other sharp investors performing in the upper ends of their peer group? So who hung on through 13-15 years of stock market insanity/volatility and didn't "miss out" on all the "benefits?" Stocks are up 50-60% since the late 1990's. Does 4% per year in annual stock gains fund retirement? It sure is a lot less than 1982-2000 produced. Count me in for missing out though.
I was monitoring the boards here closely in March 2009. I recall Laura Sperber posting that she dumped her %#$@! GE stock in middle single digits....that was within 1 week of the March 2009 bottom. There was lots of fear around this place. But, you're suggesting J6P handled this a lot better? I seriously have to doubt that. How did J6P handle the 1966-1982 whipsaws? I lived through that one and it wasn't pretty or easy. Who sells at bottoms and buys at tops?.....yeah....middle class J6P....while Bailey and Cohodk were reloading. At that time in March 2009 gold was already back to $950 recovering most of the 2008 losses. Once again, you're trying to fit an explanation to something that didn't really happen. The red herring is back, only now it's a sour red herring. Let's do a poll to see who missed out on the "benefits" of 1998-2015. I will pre-load your "yes or no" poll and state that yes, I "lost out." Mea culpa. Fortunately, my PM holdings from 2001 onward have done just fine. I also know I'm going to miss out on most of the stock market "benefits" and fun in the 2016-2021 period.
I knew MR. POLL......and I served with MR. POLL.....and you sir....are.............
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>...My picks have always been what I own.
And you sir, are a Jack Kennedy.
(and you're probably in the minority too.....
I'm no Jack Kennedy
More of an Onassis of the Jetstream. That was an epic debate btw between the master and the grasshopper.
Like roadrunner pointed out, there are many who are basically forced in to stock ownership, and many of these people are not middle class. A lot of them might even qualify as poor based on their yearly income.
The rigged poll is not worthy of a vote, in my opinion.
<< <i>
<< <i>I'm no Jack Kennedy
Look at Dan Quayle and he can see the laser dot aimed squarely at him as Lloyd Bentsen slowly squeezes the vice. You'd have sworn by today's reality standards that this had to be scripted. Classic debate.
... also see that the largest "opposition" to the stock market are those that have not benefited from its rise. I'd be pretty pissed too if I missed out. The corrolation between those who do not own stocks and who believe it is rigged is, I assume, very high.
This still doesn't make sense to me. The stock market was dead money from March 1998 to October 2011. 13-1/2 years dead flat with plenty of whipsaws. Most holders got scoured into the 2001-2002 dip. Then again into the 2008-2009 washout. Many never came back unless "forced" through 401K company matching. Then how many more survived the 2011 smack down and still hung in. What you propose is that every middle class stock owner has benefited from the stock market of 1998-2014 as you and Bailey have. I would submit that you guys are in the top 10% of the class. How many smackdowns does it take for J6P not to come back stocks after the 2009 beat down? And if they sold out into that dip, what are they odds they were willing to come back in 2012-2014 and pay record prices and pay a lot more for stocks they had dumped? And assuming they did, what are the odds they become the fall guys in the next beat down just like in every big smack down?
Forget about what is rigged or not rigged, or whose grapes are sour or sweet. Odds are that most J6P's didn't survive the many trials of 1998-2011. 13-1/2 yrs of being flat? Who benefited from all those rises and falls other than JPM, GS, Cohodk, Bailey and other sharp investors performing in the upper ends of their peer group? So who hung on through 13-15 years of stock market insanity/volatility and didn't "miss out" on all the "benefits?" Stocks are up 50-60% since the late 1990's. Does 4% per year in annual stock gains fund retirement? It sure is a lot less than 1982-2000 produced. Count me in for missing out though.
I was monitoring the boards here closely in March 2009. I recall Laura Sperber posting that she dumped her %#$@! GE stock in middle single digits....that was within 1 week of the March 2009 bottom. There was lots of fear around this place. But, you're suggesting J6P handled this a lot better? I seriously have to doubt that. How did J6P handle the 1966-1982 whipsaws? I lived through that one and it wasn't pretty or easy. Who sells at bottoms and buys at tops?.....yeah....middle class J6P....while Bailey and Cohodk were reloading. At that time in March 2009 gold was already back to $950 recovering most of the 2008 losses. Once again, you're trying to fit an explanation to something that didn't really happen. The red herring is back, only now it's a sour red herring. Let's do a poll to see who missed out on the "benefits" of 1998-2015. I will pre-load your "yes or no" poll and state that yes, I "lost out." Mea culpa. Fortunately, my PM holdings from 2001 onward have done just fine. I also know I'm going to miss out on most of the stock market "benefits" and fun in the 2016-2021 period.
I knew MR. POLL......and I served with MR. POLL.....and you sir....are.............
Last year there was a report that found that the 'middle class' at retirement had a few thousand dollars. Peeps in the top twenty percentile averaged in around $22k. Those with a brokerage account came in at $245,000. I don't remember if these were averages or means, doesn't matter much to j6p.
<< <i>....Last year there was a report that found that the 'middle class' at retirement had a few thousand dollars. Peeps in the top twenty percentile averaged in around $22k. Those with a brokerage account came in at $245,000. I don't remember if these were averages or means, doesn't matter much to j6p. >>
In doing some internet reading tonight I ran across a similar $245K in brokerage or major assets. Even so, that's not enough to qualify for a middle class retirement imo. The D&T accounting firm did a study in 2013 and found that most Americans nearing retirement (69%?) felt that medical costs would eat up everything they could save, and then some. In short, why bother? It wasn't a pretty picture. You ain't in the middle class anymore if your retirement isn't properly funded. And the stock market of the past 15 years hasn't done much to help that. Everyone was expecting more of 1982-2008 in housing, stocks, jobs. I remember sitting in company sponsored 401K meetings put on by T. Rowe Price back in 2007-2008. I just had to shake my head at the annual 8%/yr SM rates they were predicting for everyone going out 20-40 years.
<< <i>Adapt or choose to die ... >>
rawteam said it best.
<< <i>No, I have all my assets in ammunition and surveillance equipment..
keep your powder dry
<< <i>The D&T accounting firm did a study in 2013 and found that most Americans nearing retirement (69%?) felt that medical costs would eat up everything they could save, and then some. In short, why bother? >>
Unfortunately, much truth to that.
Twenty years ago, Bruce Williams spoke of the hard working frugal families that saved all that they could to pay for their children's college tuition. When it was time to send the kid to West Undershirt U, the free spending neighbor kid got a free ride based on poverty while the savers paid retail.
Another example of why Socialism always fails.
Mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
As to the discussion in general....
I don't think cohodk should have necessarily tied the two different polls together with the comment:
<< <i>Second, even with votes slightly skewed, there are more who own stocks than think gold is useful. >>
I get his reference but I feel it's almost like putting words in the mouth of people who participated in these polls.
Gold vs Stocks ....Well unless you just want to be stubborn about it I think you'd have to acknowledge that there is a place for both in an investment portfolio and the holdings of either can and should be adjusted based on a number of personal and economic issues
I also answered No to the question of do you own any stocks.
I have owned stocks previously, I may own stocks again, but at this snapshot in time I do not.
I fully agree with RedTiger that this group, by no means, accurately represents what most Americans would loosely define as middle class.
Most do not have the income/net worth that I believe this group to have. Most so called middle class Americans probably have never owned precious metals outside of personal jewelry and I would suspect further that most of these J6P middle class Americans, despite owning stock in the form of mutual funds through their 401k investments, could more easily tell you the names of all the characters on the Simpsons than they could tell you the names of which particular mutual funds they are invested in. Our group here, just by virtue of the fact that it is a precious metals forum, tells us that we are thinking about investments and or money and the larger economy to a much higher degree than the average J6P, which isn't to say that we aren't J6P's too, just not in the same way. The average J6P probably makes their initial investment allocations into his/her 401K based on what name sounds good, a best guess, random finger pointing, advertisements or what their brother-in-law or neighbor told them, and then proceeds to never again modify his/her initial selections. Maybe I'm wrong but that has been the anecdotal evidence that I have come across more often than not.
Most people believe they are middle class, from people who have a net worth of 50K to those whose net worth may extend well into the millions of dollars.
I think middle class millionaires benefit greater from the current Fed policies and stock market rise than do middle class "thousandaires".
I think it's likely that if asked, a person living in Boston, New York or San Francisco would not "feel" solidly part of the middle class with a net worth of even 300K, though I suspect they would still say they are middle class. While someone in Mississippi with the same 300K might feel more solidly middle class. As Roadrunner illustrates perhaps neither would meet the definition.
I guess we would have to define what we are going to call middle class.
Then we can assess if the true bulk of people who would "call" themselves middle class would be befitting from the stock market to the same degree as those who actually meet the criteria of the definition of middle class.
-spelling and various wordsmith edits
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Assuming that report was conducted at the precise 2009 low and multiplying that by the 2.7X gain in stocks since then, $32K would be the resultant "median" value today. Not that far off the $28K-$42K "average" number above that I very roughly estimated. That rough estimate assumes the entire US stock market has no foreign ownership (when it's actually around 15%). And the $32K figure assumes everyone remains in the market long term.
The Pew study has some interesting results though nothing on the actual amounts invested by "middle income" earners (ie $31K-$75K). One statistic jumped out at me....73% of the American public felt that the stock market affected them "not at all" or "a little." That sort of suggests smaller amounts invested for >70% of Americans (to them, stocks appear "effectively unimportant").
The Pew study also shows that 24% of those between ages 18-29 own stocks. From ages 30-49 the ownership rises to 53%....and peaks at 57% for ages 50-64. For those over age 65+ it drops to 42%. The total survey ownership of stocks was 45%. But that's probably higher today following another 20 months of stock gains.
Pew household study of March 2013
Foreign ownership of US assets